Introduction

At University Wales Trinity Saint David Swansea, I am currently studying Education Studies and I have based my blog on four concepts that I have found most interesting throughout my 21^st Century Learning lectures and seminars. The concepts that I have chosen are Steiner Waldorf Education, Learning Outside the Classroom, Philosophy for Children and Montessori Schools. Each of these concepts can be linked through the importance of play for a child’s development during their education.

Steiner Waldorf Education

I have begun this post with a brief background to how Steiner schools were first introduced and later became a worldwide movement. The Steiner school curriculum has also been brought into my blog post to indicate that Steiner believed in a curriculum based on the whole development of a child to help engage in their abilities. I have mentioned the different stages of Steiner schools which include Kindergarten or Early Years (3-7), Lower School (7-14) and Upper School (14-19). These have been mentioned in my blog as I believe they show the development of the curriculum through Steiner schools and how it gradually changes as the children develop.

I decided to talk about Steiner Waldorf Education as it is something that interests me as it has its own curriculum. Although, before I began my research, I did not believe that Steiner Education would be better than the core curricular I am currently use to, I have come to agree with some of Rudolf Steiner’s ideas as I also believe that children learn more effectively when they are given more time to develop socially.

Learning Outside the Classroom

This post explains the importance of enabling children to learn outside the classroom, either through school trips or simply taking the children outside for a lesson. I have mentioned how taking children on a learning experience outside the classroom can develop their social skills as well as attendance. Also, I have spoken about Quality Badges from the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom which is a certificate for providers who meet a certain criteria.

I chose Learning Outside the Classroom as I believe that children are more engaged to learn when they are having fun and what they are being taught is put into a more realistic context. For this post, I could also bring my own experience into what I was trying to explain which made it more personal to me.

Philosophy for Children

I opened this post with a brief background to Matthew Lipman who introduced the theory that philosophical inquiry needed to begin early on in childhood. I have then spoken about how Philosophy for Children is taught to children and how often. As well as this, I introduced a table to show what types of thinking ‘Philosophy for Children’ can help a child develop. To finish the blog post, I mentioned about the outcomes, weaknesses and benefits of this programme for children as I thought this would be important in allowing people to come to their own conclusions.

I decided to write about Philosophy for Children as I found it different to the other concepts that I have been taught this semester. This is due to it encouraging children to develop their creative thinking as well as their judgement. This concept is also different as it does not mainly focus on play-based learning, which is a repetitive theme throughout the other concepts that I have mentioned.

Montessori

Similarly to the other three blog posts, I have begun with a brief background about Maria Montessori who introduced Montessori schools. I followed this with a timeline of events which led to the worldwide movement of Montessori schools which we now have in the UK. To conclude my post, I mentioned the role of the teacher and the Montessori settings as I found these equally important to the lead up of the schools due to the fact that they play an important role in Montessori schools then and now.

I chose Montessori schools as one of my blog posts since I knew a little about them before they were mentioned in my lecture. As I began my research, it became clear to me that this was going to be something that I wanted to write about. I believe that Montessori schools enable their children to learn at their own pace and will give them the personal satisfaction and ability to face challenges of everyday life.

To conclude, I believe that each concept is unique in the way that they teach children. Although, they differ in this way, each concept has great outcomes which will benefit children throughout their lives. I favour Philosophy for Children as it helps to engage them into learning through discussions, whereas while they are sat at a desk they can fear getting an answer wrong. The other concepts also help engage children in other ways, such as Learning Outside the Classroom which introduces children to new environments.

Learning Outside the Classroom

Learning outside the classroom enables children to experience new environments in an enjoyable way, as well as raising their self-esteem and self-motivation. Children’s learning can be enhanced through visits which are both memorable and enjoyable, as this heightens their interests and therefore encourages them to progress with their learning (Government, 2008).

In Wales, learning outside the classroom is used in the Foundation Phase and throughout their school education towards higher education (14-19). These learning experiences can take place in a variety of settings, in Wales we have a variety of environments that children can visit, such as nature reserves, beaches, rivers and education establishments. Adventure activities can help children or young adults develop their social skills, such as communication, team work and co-operation, as well as gaining personal fulfilment (Government, 2008).  



                                       (Waterlinks, 2007)



Schools will usually organise visits within curriculum time, however some schools take their students on longer trips within the UK or abroad to develop specific curricular subjects. Learning outside the classroom is also frequently organised outside of school hours, such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award and after school clubs. These give children an extra opportunity to enhance their learning while doing something which they enjoy (Government, 2008).

Learning outside the classroom providers can achieve QualityBadges from The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom once they have met a certain criteria. These include providing accurate information about its offer, meeting the needs of users, and having safety management processes in place to ensure that they can manage any risks effectively (CLOtC, 2011).

                                                                                                          (Council, 2013)

As university students studying Education Studies, a group and I went on a educational visit with Rhydyfro Primary School  to experience an animal tour that children attend in an out of school environment. We decided to go to Plantasia in Swansea as it was interesting to us and there was plenty to see and do. Here, the children were told about extinct animals and endangered species that exist today. They began linking the reasons for the extinction from what they had learnt in school, such as deforestation.

The children made connections with topics that they had already been learning in the classroom, and their experiences in Plantasia could be used as a stimulus for their future learning. At the end of the tour, the children were sat on a carpet in the education room where they recapped on what they had done. The tour guide would ask questions such as ‘what was your favourite part?’ and ‘what did we see?’

The weaknesses of learning outside the classroom include deciding on a place suitable for the curricular subject, as well as ensuring that the chosen destination does not become a distraction to the educational purpose of the trip. Another weakness is the expense, as many parents may not be able to afford the cost of the trip.

The benefits of learning outside the classroom are far greater than the weaknesses. Taking a child outside can make learning more engaging, whereas maintaining the child indoors can make it difficult to keep them on task. It also encourages learning to be more relevant as you can put them in a more realistic context, as well as nurturing their creativity and imagination. Learning outside the classroom is a good way to improve attendance as the children are more motivated to learn (Education, 2011).

Below is a video showing an example of learning outside the classroom (Lancashireoutdoor, 2012):

 

References

CLOtC, 2011. Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge. [Online]
Available at: http://lotcqualitybadge.org.uk/quality-indicators
[Accessed 28 December 2013].

Council, F. S., 2013. Quality Badge Certificate. [Art] (The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom).

Education, C., 2011. Practical Teaching Advice, Ideas and Opinion. [Online]
Available at: http://www.creativeeducation.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/06/learning-outside-the-classroom/
[Accessed 28 December 2013].

Government, W. A., 2008. Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. [Online]
Available at: http://www.npt.gov.uk/PDF/LEA_Educational_visits_a_safety_guide_for_learning_outside_the_classroom01.pdf
[Accessed 28 December 2013].

Lancashireoutdoor, 2012. YouTube. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dh_XE40mj4
[Accessed 28 December 2013].

Waterlinks, 2007. River Tawe. [Art] (Waterlinks).